Our liberal friend Ben Tribbett just highlighted an interview in which Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli seems to leave the door open to possibly run for governor of Virginia in the next election in 2013. This would be controversial, in case you don’t know, because Bill Bolling is the Republican establishment heir apparent governor candidate, who served as lieutenant governor from 2005-2009 and then agreed to do a second tour as LG from 2009-2013 so there would not be an intraparty fight for the governor’s office in 2009. In the 2009 elections, Bolling was a good soldier and stood down so that Bob McDonnell could represent the Republicans in the governor’s race, which McDonnell won while Bolling and Cuccinelli completed the GOP sweep into the LG and AG offices respectively.

Regular readers of this blog know that my personal bias is that Ken Cuccinelli should be on the presidential ticket in 2012. I don’t think there is any public official in America that I hold in higher regard than Mr. Cuccinelli. The principles he brings to his work in public office are intelligent and beyond reproach and he, personally, is an extraordinarily effective worker. He has done more in 1.5 years as Virginia attorney general than most politicians accomplish in a lifetime. So I am not an objective observer.

At the same time, Bill Bolling – who seems like a truly good man – has the most ridiculous job. And the poor guy has been stuck there for a long time. Whatever the founders of Virginia’s government were thinking when they invented the office of lieutenant governor, they certainly were not thinking about pizazz in the resume department for anyone holding the office.

Virginia LG seems most appropriate for the seasoned, retired person who basically spends his time fishing but is available to provide solid judgment if something terrible should happen to the governor. As a stepping-stone to the governor’s office, “Virginia lieutenant governor” presents a career quandary. It probably looks good on a business card or fundraiser invitation, but it provides little opportunity for producing important work product.

So good guy Bill Bolling holds the inconsequential office, while Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is busy changing the world. The situation is tragic for Bolling because he did the hard thing by being the bigger man in 2009 and allowing Bob McDonnell to capture the flag, and strengthening the Virginia Republican Party at his own (Bolling’s) expense.

Thus there must be a major Republican conflict in Virginia in 2013, right?

No. Far from it. Because there are two major near-term battles that Virginia Republicans must win. 1) the U.S. Senate seat which will be decided in 2012, and 2) the Virginia governor’s office in 2013.

Senator Jim Webb, who ran for office as a “common sense” moderate, represents all that is wrong with America today. He ran for public office as a friend of the people, and once in office became an enemy of the average American. He needs to be defeated in 2012, sent packing from office with extreme prejudice.

Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli simply need to decide who will run for governor in 2013 and who will run for U.S. senator in 2012. Democrat candidates at all levels deserve the back of America’s hand. There is plenty of opportunity for two good Virginia conservatives to serve the American people in the coming years.

Comments

Ken has been pretty consistent saying he thinks Virginia deserves a long-term Attorney General, and he’s proving that point pretty well so far. There’s a lot of work for that office, for as long as he wants to lead it.

If he decides to move up, given his experience and temperment I’d say he should at least spend a little time in the U.S. Senate. If we could have Bob Marshall and Ken Cuccinelli shaking things up in that currently horrible legislative body it would do this country a lot of good, and a U.S. Senate gig is probably a better deal than being in the White House. Ken could win another statewide race, he has the organization to mount the challenge. Much more doable than a presidential campaign, by far.

Besides, we got Mike Pence waiting in the wings to do a Ronald Reagan impersonation after Obama finishes doing his Carter impersonation. Pence has the national stature. If we run a dozen conservatives against one or two squishy “moderates,” the GOP will tap another Juan McAmnesty as their candidate and we’ll end up with another Obama term.

Excellent observations, Mr. Fu, as usual. Thank you. I also am impressed by Mike Pence. I will be paying much closer attention to him.

Written by Cathymac about 5 years ago.

Agreed with Greg L that 2012 for KC is not necessary, as much as I’d like him there now. Have to disagree on the Senate though – I think the Governorship is the perfect stepping stone for the oval office.

As for the “Bolling Situation” – an ugly primary, or KC going back on his word could do irrepairable damage to KC’s reputation in VA. Let’s not knock on Bolling either, he has been the “jobs czar” here in VA – working hard to bring businesses to the Commonwealth. Lt Gov is a part time job and he has another full-time job in private industry.

I admit, this discussion makes me nervous. KC is the real deal – I’m fully in his corner – but he has to tread through the VA politics carefully.

Is it like that shiver Kieth Olberman got when he thought of 0bama in the Oval Office?

Written by BlackOut about 5 years ago.

I think Chooch is doing a good job of creating a real record that can be evaluated next go around. He’s certainly not holding back on what he believes. There won’t be any effective spinning or denying what he believes in, is motivated to due, or how much he’s willing to spend trying, when he runs for office next. He’s getting well defined with every day he’s in the AG office.

As for whether he should run rightfully? Hell ya, he should be free to run for anything he wants. That is unless you consider him royalty. Royalty usually has to wait their turn. Remember we fought a revolution against royalty.

I am sure we’ll all debate whether that record will serve him well next time he goes to get votes.

Written by BlackOut about 5 years ago.

due=do

Written by Lee Talley about 5 years ago.

oh yeah… economic impact, that is Bolling’s job creation that will give him support from all sides and its a super win. Ken is great but every one likes a guy who bring jobs and growth. Ken’s high points also have equally high negatives. I’ve never seen anyone run a campaign where they want less growth and less jobs. The playbook to that goal has been run with McDonnell and it will be refined with Bolling who’s had a direct impact on EVERY new job brought here under the new administration. Lt Gov Bolling has a proven pro-business legislative record. Look at the past elections pro-business, pro-growth, pro-jobs wins. If you look at the numbers Virginia is so far ahead of the curve on its economy due to the work of Lt Gov Bill Bolling as Chief Jobs Creation officer. The AG might get Olberman and Madow all in a tizzy but its the work that Bill Bolling is doing in growing Virginia’s economy despite the best efforts of Washington to derail it.

Agree with Mr. Talley, here. Cooch can work a lather of sensationalism…but Bolling is doing the grunt work that actually brings about change. I’m not opposed to Cooch making headway as a Senator. But a common problem here is that Cooch has never had a blue colllar, either. He doesn’t understand the working stiff’s true plight, although he has done sone incredible work on protecting the little guys.

Written by squiddy about 5 years ago.

I’m not sure I agree with apocalyptic “enemy of the people”, but Webb *has* been a loyal servant of the Democrat party for the most part, with only, perhaps,, Card Check and possibly, maybe Cap and Trade – but on every other issue, he’s been out of step with the majority of Virginians.

Senate seats can have more far-reaching consequences than even governor, when as recent history indicates.

Right now, our senators make up “two” of the “60″ that, in two years, have passed all of this terrible legislation that will takes years to undo, if ever. We need to retire these two – and the postings order of priority is correct – I’d rather win the Senate seat, and lose the Governor’s than vice-versa.

Experts view absentee ballots as the largest single source of fraudulent voting. For an excellent case study of how this works in practice, see A Stolen Election in Greene County, Alabama. Author Hans von Spakovsky describes the typical procedure:

1.The conspirator applies for an absentee ballot by forging a voter’s signature on the application or obtaining the signature through coercion, trickery, or bribery.
2.The election official mails the absentee ballot and voter affidavit to the address listed on the application, either a real address or one controlled by the conspirator.
3.Election officials usually post the names of voters who were sent absentee ballots and the dates they were mailed, making it easy for the conspirator to intercept them. Ballots may be also sent to addresses controlled by the conspirator.
4.The conspirator completes the absentee ballot and forges the voter’s signature, or else the voter signs and completes the ballot as directed by the conspirator.
5.The conspirator then mails or hand-deliv ers the ballot to the election official.

I believe that the 37th was the dry-run to see if it was caught. I do not believe it was entirely done as described above. But I also do not believe that everyone who’s names appeared on those absentee ballots was actually breathing, or still (or ever) lived in the address that was provided..

At a recent Wolf lit drop in SR, I heard that people who had done follow-up door to dooring (after the 09 state election) in one of the larger by-rights near here found that, when asking to talk with a few folks at some addresses, were told that the person didn’t live there.

When asked a bit further, were told “Oh, that’s friend of my husband’s. He was here for a cookout when they were doing voter registraion drives.”

It’s being followed up, and it will be interesting to see how people who don’t live in the 67th ended up on registered voter lists for that district.

Amazing how some people get annointed as being “establishment” and others don’t. I’ve come to the conclusion that the term has little meaning, and is mostly used as a term of opprobrium, thrown about loosely in order to disparage people the speaker or writer doesn’t like.

Cuccinelli was State Senator from 2002-2010, and now AG, which makes him about as “establishment” as it gets.

Written by The BulletProof Monk about 5 years ago.

There go the lunatics, again. Bolling (at great personal costs) stepped to the side and let McDonnell do his thing – and it rewarded us with a possible Presidential candidate in the future. McDonnell enjoys a high sixty-something approval number…and is a locked-in force to be reckoned with ….
Cooch has chased a couple of lose dead-ends. I personally agree with him on the 10th Amendment challenge, as well as the one that he’s pledged to bring against the EPA. But the gay/UVA circus tents should have been avoided until there was an immediate flare-up that required him to step in.
What I’ve found among some of the TEA people (the truly fruitty ones) is that they like to revisit the Witchcraft trials of New England. They root around and disassociate themselves from folks who could actually do their casue a just reward…and they do it solely on rumors and fixed labels assigned by folks who just personally dislike individuals.
I’m EVERY BIT as conservative as some of “them”…but it didn’t stop them from using words like RINO and squishy.
When these particular dipshits figure out that I’m actually marching in their general direction……they need to get with the overall production and stop fixating on the cracks in the sidewalk. And the general direction was supposed to be a MAJORITY Speaker position…not one lowly senator’s seat.

Written by Piper about 5 years ago.

I would like to see a Huckabee/Cuccinelli ticket in 2012 or Huckabee/McDonnell